The first ever mandible (lower jaw) implant surgery through autologous regeneration— carried out by Dr. Shushrut Vaidya, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon—took place at MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai, India. This implant was done by reconstruction through regeneration of the patient’s own body tissue with the help of a unique therapy called Ossron. Dr. Vaidya is also one of the key faculty members in the Dept. of Maxillofacial Surgery, MGM Dental College, Navi Mumbai.

Minakshi Kudekar, a Mumbai resident and 39-year-old female patient, was having a defect in her jaw with compromised function and facial deformity. She was diagnosed with Ameloblastic Fibroma. After having consulted Dr. Vaidya, he decided to do Ossron, a two-staged cell (osteoblast) therapy procedure. As the first step, a Biopsy was performed on July 27 at the hospital.

“Autologous cultured cell technology has created a new dimension in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which will diminish the burden of risks associated with auto and allografts,” said Dr. Satyen Sanghavi, Chief Scientific Officer of Regrow.

“Regenerating patient’s own bones would be like giving her an original jaw, thus in the future she can fix permanent prosthesis (denture),” Dr. Vaidya said.

Ameloblastoma is a benign tumor of odontogenic epithelium that commonly appears in the mandible. While these tumors progress slowly, the resulting lesions can cause severe abnormalities of the face and jaw. Additionally, because abnormal cell growth easily infiltrates and destroys surrounding bony tissues, wide surgical excision is required to treat this disorder. Even then, the defect remains permanent and there is no treatment available.

After the biopsy, Dr. Vaidya sent the sample of the cell from the patient’s body to “Cell Processing Center” of Regrow, where it was isolated, differentiated, and osteoblasts were cultured for five weeks. Finally, on Sept. 7, the cultured osteoblasts cells, which have the regenerative capability, were implanted on the defect site of the patient. Thus, now this implant will start to form new bone growth at the defect area.

“We were very happy that the implant was done through autologous reconstruction using Meenakshi’s own body tissue, thus, making the treatment absolutely natural and safe,” said the patient’s husband, Mr. Kudekar.